Chris Wyatt, Kumamoto, October 7th, 2019 DJCoil Rugby Disclaimer: It is not the policy of this news service to make predictions about rugby matches. The predictions made in this article are relevant to the article, but only reflect the opinions of the author. The word choice of Minnows is also the author’s.”   Each successive world cup we hear the chant that the “minnows can no longer be disregarded.”  While upsets have been rare, games between traditional rugby powerhouses and the minnows (non-traditional rugby union nations that compete primarily with lower-ranked teams) have become more competitive.  The chorus grew louder after Japan…

Chris Wyatt, Kureme, October 5th, 2019 One obvious and fascinating aspect of this Rugby World Cup in Japan is the presence of school children at the matches.  At several games I have attended, multiple sections of the stadium have been full of school children.  They are mostly from junior high schools and all wear school clothes or sports gear.  This was most prominent at Kumagaya (both games I attended there) and at Shizuoka.  These are organized groups of school kids.  While it is interesting that the Japanese bring school children on organized outings to major international sporting events, the most…